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TN: Oak which is not bad

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Mark S

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TN: Oak which is not bad

by Mark S » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:06 am

An oaken cloak is not usually loved by me, but sometimes I can see a place for it in the spectrum of wines, but it needs to be a wine whose profile can stand up to it and perhaps complement instead of dominate. Traditional Bordeaux can have that structure, and Tempranillo, despite being a lighter weighted wine, can wear it well too if it is done right. Thus, a Canon-la-Gaffeliere, Saint Emillion, 1999 wore the modern knitted oak cloak, but wore it well, like a custom fitted tunic. This exhibited a lovely exotic aroma of camphorish cedar & cassis, with floral spicy notes. Inside, there were rich flavors of chocolate covered blueberries, fresh blackcurrant juice, and fresh raspberries. There is a short finish here, a slight warmth that detracts from the purity a bit, and tannins that make themselves known but do not intrude. A sleek and modern wine, to be sure, but well done in my opinion.

Then there's the complementing oak, proabably American, found in thePesquera, Ribera del Duero, tinto, 2000.
The oak steps in front like a kevlar vest, saying 'Bite this first!', and indeed, is front-and-center in this wine, adding sweetness and depth to the cherry & licorice flavors. A richer year (like a 1991 or 2001) might stand up better and make a nicer and longer aged wine, but this is not bad. Still, I recommend neither to the quercaphobes out there.
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Re: TN: Oak which is not bad

by Jenise » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:26 am

Mark, how 'ready' was the Pesquera to drink upon opening? I have a few bottles of that around and the last one I opened, about a year ago, was still pretty tight.
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Chris L

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Re: TN: Oak which is not bad

by Chris L » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:29 am

Mark S wrote:Still, I recommend neither to the quercaphobes out there.


What is a quercaphobe? I can guess from the context that it is someone that doesn't care for any oak at all but i want to be sure...
<img src="http://www.lopezphoto.com/work/cork_screw.jpg">
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Re: TN: Oak which is not bad

by Mark S » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:34 am

Jenise wrote:Mark, how 'ready' was the Pesquera to drink upon opening? I have a few bottles of that around and the last one I opened, about a year ago, was still pretty tight.


Jenise, I usually like Pesquera's to have age on them (8-10 years), so I was a bit surprised by how ready this was. You could definitely age it some more, perhaps 4-5 years, but if I had this and the 2001 in the cellar, I would drink this first.

-Mark
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Re: TN: Oak which is not bad

by Mark S » Tue Sep 12, 2006 11:36 am

Chris L wrote:
Mark S wrote:Still, I recommend neither to the quercaphobes out there.


What is a quercaphobe? I can guess from the context that it is someone that doesn't care for any oak at all but i want to be sure...


Yep.

Scary avatar, btw (or an advert for screw caps :wink: )
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Re: TN: Oak which is not bad

by Chris L » Tue Sep 12, 2006 12:15 pm

Mark S wrote:
Chris L wrote:
Mark S wrote:Still, I recommend neither to the quercaphobes out there.


What is a quercaphobe? I can guess from the context that it is someone that doesn't care for any oak at all but i want to be sure...


Yep.

Scary avatar, btw (or an advert for screw caps :wink: )



Lol! (that really did make me laugh) i have never thought if it like that...

I am a professional photographer so i wanted to put up something that i had done on my signature... (still laughing...)
<img src="http://www.lopezphoto.com/work/cork_screw.jpg">

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